Electrical controlling apparatus



y 1934- a. w. BAUGHMAN 1 ELECTRICAL CONTROLLING APPARATUS- OriginalFiled Jan. 29, 1925 Attached to Shaft of 5 A Shz'pis Rudder: 2

X 3/ 4 0 4 :Amplifying W T ,/}'Appamtus :2; 4: J l a 155 L 32 43 I 24Rota/table l 37 \36 in Earth's c Field.

INVENTOR. GEORGE N BA UG'HMAM Z/ KW.

ATTORNEY:

Reissued May 8, 1934 ELECTRICAL CONTROLLING APPARATUS George W.Baughman, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Pioneer Instrument Company,Incorporated, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original No.1,794,508, dated March 3, 1931, Serial No. 339,885, February 14, 1929,as a continuation of application Serial No. 5,641, January 29,

1925. Serial No. 615,938

Application for reissue June 7, 1932.

9 Claims. (01. 172-282) My invention relates to electrical controllingapparatus.

Apparatus embodying myinvention is particularly adapted for, though inno way limited to, the control of apparatus for keeping a movable bodyon a predetermined course.

The present case is a continuation of my" abandoned application SerialNo. 5,641, filed January 29, 1925, for electrical controlling appa- 0ratus, in so far as the subject matter common to the two cases isconcerned.

I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and onemodification thereof, and will then point out the novel features thereofin claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a view, partly diagrammatic,showing one form of controlling apparatus embodying my invention asapplied to the control of the steering mechanism of a ship. Fig. 2 is aview showing one modification of a portion of the controlling apparatusshown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in both views.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the controlling apparatus includes acontrolling device A and an earth inductor G. The controlling device Acomprises a cylindrical field structure 1, of magnetizable materialprovided with two inwardly projecting poles 2 and 3. These poles 2 and 3are provided with windings 2a and 3a, respectively, which windings areconnected in series and supplied with direct current from some suitablesource such as a battery 7. The parts are so arranged that there iscreated between the poles 2 and 3, a unidirectional magnetic flux orfield.

For purposes of explanation I will assume that pole 2 is a south pole.The structure 1 is rotatable and is provided with a pointer 1acooperating with a relatively fixed scale 4 carrying indicia .6 wherebythe position of the structure 1 may be accurately observed. By rotatingstructure 1,

then, the field between poles 2 and 3 may be adjusted to any angularposition with respect to the scale 4.

An armature indicated diagrammatically by the reference character 5 isinterposed between poles 2 and 3 and is therefore traversed by the fluxcreated by windings 2a and 3a. This armais supplied with current fromthe alternator G. The magnetic field of the alternator G has a fixeddirection in space. In the form here shown the alternator G is an earthinductor, that is, it comprises an armature 8 rotatable in the earth'sfield. The armature 8 is mechanically connected with armature 5 ofalternator A and rotates in synchronism therewith. As shown in thedrawing, amplifyingapparatus 9 of some suitable form is interposedbetween the armature 8 and winding 11 of relay B.

The armatures 5 and 8 are preferably, though not necessarily, connectedmechanically in such angular relation that when the field produced bywindings 2a and 3a is parallel to the earths magnetic field the currentsinduced in the armatures are in phase.

Rotor 12 of relay 13 controls a movable contact 24 arranged to occupy anintermediate position, a right-hand or a left-hand position dependingupon the phase relation of the currents in windings 10 and 11.

The frequency and phase of the current supplied by alternator G are, ofcourse, unvarying so long as the speed of rotation of armature 8 remainsconstant. But since armatures 5 and 8 rotate in synchronism, it will beplain that the apparatus may be used as a compass. For example, thescale 4 may be fixed on a ship. If, now, the field between poles 2 and 3of member 1 be parallel with the earth's field, the currents in windings10 and 11 of relay B will be in phase and the contact 24 controlled byrotor 12 of the relay will occupy an intermediate position. If, however,the field of structure 1 is displaced angularly with respect to theearth's field the current in winding 10 will lead or lag the current inwinding 11, depending upon the direction of such displacement. When thecurrent in winding 10 leads the current in winding 11, contact 24 isswung into its right-hand position, and when the current in winding 10lags the current in winding 11, contact 24 is swung into its lefthandposition. The relay B may be of any suitable type such as thetwo-element, three-position relay commonly used in telephone andsignaling systems.

Since the contact of relay B assumes its intermediate position only whenthe fields of alternators A and G are parallel, if structure A berotated till the relay contact does assume such intermediate position,pointer la will then indicate the direction of the earths field.

Controlling apparatus embodying my invention is particularly suited forautomatically controlling the course of a movable body such as a ship,aeroplane, etc. As shown in the drawing the apparatus is applied to aship and controls the ships rudder (not shown) through the medium of agear 18 operatively connected with such rudder. This gear 18 isoperatively connected with rotor 17 of reversible driving means hereshown as a two-phase induction motor C, having one winding constantlysupplied with alternating current from one armature 21 of a two-phasegenerator D. Current of one polarity or the other is at times suppliedfrom the remaining winding of the generator D to the other winding 16 ofmotor C through a transformer T having its secondary 25 connecteddirectly with winding 16.

. The supply of current to primary 26 of transformer T is controlled inpart by relay B, and in part by a. circuit controller designated by theref erence-character X, and operated in accordance with the position ofthe rudder.

The circuit controller X comprises three movable contact arms 27, 30 and32 all operatively connected with the gear 18 and each cooperating withone or more fixed contacts. When the rudder occupies its middleposition, contact 32-33 of circuit controller X is closed, but all theremaining contacts of the circuit controller are open. If the rudder ismoved in one direction, however, contacts 27-28 and 30-31 close, and ifthis movement exceeds a predetermined amount, contact 32-33 opens'andcontact 27-29 closes. In similar manner a small movement of the rudderin the opposite direction away from its middle position closes contacts30-31aand 27-2811, and a larger movement in this opposite directionopens contact 32-33, and closes contact 27-29a.

Associated with circuit controller X is a relay K which is at timessupplied with current from winding 20 of generator D.

In explaining the operation of the apparatus, it should be stated thatas shown in the drawing, the ship is assumed to be travelling in thedirection indicated by the pointer 1a, so that the earth's magneticfield is in a direction parallel with the field produced by windings 2a.and 3a. The currents in windings 10 and 11 of relay B are therefore inphase, and contact 24 occupies its intermediate position. The shipsrudder also occupies its middle position, so no current is beingsupplied to winding 16 of motor C, and the motor is at rest. Allcircuits for relay K are open, and this relay is therefore de-energized.

I will now assume that it is desired to change the course of the shipten degrees to the right. Field structure 1 is rotated ten degrees tothe left. Assuming, further, that armatures 8 and 5 are rotating in acounterclockwise direction, this movement of the field structure causesthe current in winding 10 of relay B to lag the current in winding 11,and this phase displacement causes contact 24 of relay B to move to theleft. Qurrent then flows from one terminal of winding 20 of generator D,through wires 34 and 35, lefthand portion of primary 26 of transformerT, wires 36 and 3'7, contact 24 of relay B, wire 38, contact 32-33 ofcircuit controller X, wire 39, back contact 40 of relay K, and wires 41and 42, back to the other terminal of winding 20. When this circuit isclosed the current supplied to winding 16 of motor C operates the motorto move the rudder in such direction as to shift the ship's coursetoward the right. I will assume that this movement of the rudder swingsthe arms of the circuit controller X to the right, and contact 'relay Kpicks up, current flows from winding 20, through wires 34 and 35, aportion of primary 26 of transformer T, wire 46, contact 30-31 ofcircuit controller X, wire 47, front contact 40 of relay K, and wires 41and 42 back to winding 20. The current now supplied to motor C drivesthe rudder back to its middle position. During thisreturn movementcontact 32-33 closes, but the circuit controlled by this contact is nowopen at back contact 40 of relay K. The pick-up circuit for relay Kopens, as soon as the return movement of the rudder starts, but therelay is subsequently held, closed by a stick circuit which passes fromwinding 20, through wires 34 and 43, contact 27-28 of circuit controllerX, wires 48 and'49, front contact 50 of relay K, wire 51, winding ofrelay K, and wires 45 and 42 back to winding 20. 'When the rudderattains its middle position, contact 27-28 opens and breaks the stickcircuit for relay K.

The movement of the rudder produced as described above swings the shipto the right, and if, when the relay K become de-energized, the ship hasbeen moved to the course determined by the position of field structure1, relay B will be de-energized, and the parts will remain in theposition shown. If the turning of the ship, caused by the first movementof the rudder is not enough to bring the course of the ship intocoincidence with the setting of the field structure, the cycle ofoperations described above is repeated until the proper course isestablished. If the ship turns off of its course in the oppositedirection, the operation of the apparatus is similar to that describedabove except that the rudder will then be moved in the oppositedirection to produce the required course correction.

It follows that any variation of the ship from a predetermined coursewill be automatically and instantaneously corrected by the steeringapparatus.

It will be observed that the time during which the rudder remains in itsdeflected position,

before return to the middle position depends upon the time required forthe relay K to pick up. By constructing this relay with suitable timeelement characteristics, and by adjusting the stroke through which therudder moves, by proper design of the circuit controller, the apparatusmay be made to produce any reasonable amount of turning in one operationof the rudder. In practice it may be desirable to design the apparatusso that each operation of the rudder makes only a small correction inthe course. In this case, a number of operations may be necessary tobring the ship on to a new course, but steering will be much moreaccurate.

By increasing the number of poles in the device A, I can increase thesensitivity of the apparatus. Referring for example to Fig. 2, I hereshow the field structure A provided with two pair of poles. In orderthat the frequencies of the current supplied by alternators A and Gshall be the same, armature 5 is driven, through a 2 to 1 reduction gearZ, so as to rotate at one half the speed of armature 8. The twoarmatures are driven as before by motor 19. Relay B is controlled bycircuits from armatures 5 and 8 as before. The operation of the deviceis the same as explained in connection with Fig. 1 but it should beparticularly noted that with two pairs of poles, a variation in thecourse of the ship of one angular degree will produce a phasedisplacement of two electrical degrees between the currents in thewinding of relay B. It therefore follows that for a given relay B, thesensitivity of the apparatus is increased by increasing the numbersofpoles in the device A, because the minimum phase displacement requiredto operate the relay B will then be obtained for a smaller angularvariation in the course of the ship.

For purposes of explanation I have here described my invention asapplied to apparatus for steering of a ship in a horizontal plane but itshould be pointed out that the invention is equally applicable to othermovable bodies and to steering in other planes, as for the purpose ofmaintaining an aeroplane upon an even keel.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of electricalcontrolling apparatus and one modification thereof embodying myinvention, it is understood that various changes and modifications maybe made therein within the scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. Steering apparatus for a movable body comprising two alternatorsrotating in synchronism, means for varying the direction of the field ofone of said alternators with respect to said body,

' and the field of the remaining alternator having a constant directionin space, and steering mechanism for said body responsive to the phaserelation of the electromotive forces created by said alternators.

2. In combination, a movable body, a first alternator comprising a firstarmature rotatable in the earths magnetic field, means for creating aunidirectional magnetic field in any selected direction with respect tosaid body, a second armature rotatable in such unidirectional 'field andconnected mechanically with said first armature, said armatures therebydelivering altemating current having a phase relation depending upon thecourse of the body, and steering mechanism for said body responsive tothe phase relation of such currents.

3. Steering apparatus for a movable body comprising means for creatingtwo alternating currents having a phase relation which varies inaccordance with the course of the body, a relay responsive to the phaserelation of said currents,

an induction motor having two windings, means for constantly supplying.one winding of said motor with alternating current, means controlled bysaid relay for supp y the remaining winding of said motor withalternating current of one instantaneous relative polarity or the otherand steering mechanism for said body controlled by said motor.

4. In .combination, a movable body, a first armature rotatable in amagnetic field having a fixed direction in space, means for creating asecond magnetic field, manually operable means for varying the directionof the second field in space, a second armature rotatable in the secondfield, and means responsive to the phase relation of the currentscreated in the two armatures for controlling the course of the body.

5. In combination, a movable body, a first armature rotatable in amagnetic field having a fixed direction in space, means for, creating asecond magneticfield, manually operable means for varying the directionof the second field in space, a second armature rotatable in the secondfield, and means responsive to the phase relation of the currentsdelivered by said two armatures to maintain said two fields in parallelrelation by varying the course of the body.

6. Steering apparatus on a movable body comprising an alternator havinga multipolar fieldand a first armature, means for varying the positionof said field with respect to said body, a second armature rotatable inthe earths magnetic field and mechanically connected with firstarmature, and steering mechanism for said body responsive to the phaserelation of the currents created in said two armatures.

'7. Steering apparatus on a movable body comprising an alternator havinga multipolar field and a first armature, means for varying the positionof said field with respect to said body, a second armature rotatable inthe earths magnetic field and mechanically connected with said firstarmature whereby a comparatively small change in the relative positionsof the earths field and said multipolar field in space causes acomparatively large change in the phase relation of the currents createdin said two armatures, and steering mechanism for said body responsiveto such phase relation.

8. Steering apparatus on a movable body comprising an alternator havinga multipolar-field and a first armature, meansfor varying the positionof said field with respect .to said body, a second armature rotatable inthe earth's magnetic field at such speed as to create an alternatingcurrent of the same frequency as that created by said alternator, saidcurrents having a fixed phase relation for a given angular relationbetween said multipolar field and the earths field, and steeringmechanism for said body responsive to the phase relation of the currentscreated in such armatures.

9. An automatic steering device for seacraft and aircraft, comprising adevice for producing an electromotive force from the horizontalcomponent of the terrestrial magnetic field, a magnet fixed .to thecraft, a device for producing an electromotive force from the field ofsaid magnet, means to combine said electromotive forces whereby toderive a resultant electromotive force which varies according to the yawand direction of yaw of the craft, means operated by said resultantelectromotive force to control the helm of the craft, and means to movesaid magnet in azimuth with respect to the craft whereby to vary theresultant electromotive force and thereby establish thedirection of theheading to be automatically maintained by the steering device.

GEORGE W; BAUGHMAN.

